"Five minutes until we exit hyperspace," one of the operators reported.
Commander Kinaun gave a silent nod. The operation had been assembled in haste—no time for deep reconnaissance, no time for careful staging. They were diving straight into chaos.
And they would pay for it.
Since the blockade of Donovia in the Inala system had been lifted, the squadron had been partially replenished—but "partial" was the key word.
Six Acclamator-class assault ships formed the hardened spearhead of the formation, accompanied by Dagon Marek's vessel. More than seven hundred fighters provided space superiority. Ten light cruisers—four Consular corvettes and six newly commissioned Pelta-class frigates—rounded out the force.
Two of the Peltas had been heavily modified into space-defense variants using recently delivered modules. Slower than the Consulars, yes—but sturdier. Their modular frames allowed adaptation.
In exchange for cargo capacity and most of their troop complement—reduced fourfold—they gained additional reactors and weapon systems. Alongside ten light turbolasers and fifteen light laser cannons, four new batteries had been installed, each mounting four quad light laser cannons.
They were built to shred fighters.
"One minute to launch!"
"Full combat readiness!"
Stars stretched—
—and snapped back into existence.
The sight before them was staggering.
CIS wreckage littered orbit around Togoria. Burning hull fragments drifted like metallic asteroids. Plasma clouds shimmered between debris fields.
Dittmar's squadron was still engaged, partially surrounded—but at that moment, the final Lucrehulk in his immediate engagement zone erupted in a massive fireball, clearing a temporary corridor through the battlefield.
"Sir, incoming transmission for General Marek. Urgent."
"Put it through," Dittmar ordered. "It seems this Jedi is one of the good ones."
The channel opened.
"CONTACT ENEMY FLEET RIGHT NEXT TO US. FULL COMBAT ENGAGE. NOW!"
Kinaun stiffened as fresh hyperspace ruptures split the void.
A massive CIS reinforcement fleet emerged—six Munificent-class frigates and one Lucrehulk guarding thirty-two Techno Union transports.
Hundreds of fighters began deploying instantly.
The Republic line had barely seconds to react.
Then the Terminus responded.
The heavy ship unleashed a sweeping barrage of heavy turbolasers—far more powerful than standard Acclamator batteries.
The first volley struck before the CIS formation fully stabilized.
The newly arrived Lucrehulk vanished in a catastrophic explosion.
Five transports followed seconds later, ripped apart before they could scatter.
Shock rippled through the Separatist reinforcement line.
"Form wedge formation!" Kinaun ordered.
The Republic ships aligned into a forward-pointed assault vector and accelerated toward the stunned enemy squadron.
Seconds later, Rinaun's ships opened fire, adding their weight to the barrage.
Okay.
Time to get started.
---
### Starfighter Command
"Attention all ships, this is Alpha Leader," I transmitted across the fighter channels. "The task is simple as pie—we cover our capital ships while they chase down the big bad guys. It's a mess out there, so stay sharp. Group Gray, high cover. Pink and Blue, take the flanks. Green—rear hemisphere. Red covers the hangars. Black and Orange, on me."
Acknowledgments poured in instantly.
Disciplined. Focused.
"Ahsoka!"
"Yes, Master?" Her voice vibrated with barely restrained excitement.
"Take Red Group and cover the hangars. Keep an eye on your pilots—and don't get tunnel vision."
A brief pause.
"Yes, Master!"
Torrent starfighters and V-19s surged forward into the expanding storm of Vultures and Hyena bombers.
Above them, Acclamators and Peltas poured continuous fire into the Munificent line.
Ion blasts disabled shields.
Turbolasers tore through exposed hull plating.
The CIS frigates attempted to pivot into defensive formation, but the Republic wedge was already driving into their center.
Debris scattered in every direction.
Fighters weaved between burning wreckage.
The battle for Togoria had escalated into total annihilation.
And now—with both fleets fully committed—there would be no retreat for either side.